Community College | Public 2-year

South Central College

Building Awareness, Cultivating Stewardship, and Institutionalizing Practices

Improving Communications to Strengthen Budget Transparency at South Central College

The Problem

South Central College (SCC) is a comprehensive community and technical college located in southern Minnesota, with campuses in North Mankato and Faribault. Offering a wide range of associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates, SCC provides educational pathways in fields such as health sciences, business, manufacturing, and information technology.

The Action

South Central's chief business officer (CBO) recognized a need to strengthen awareness of budgeting policies, practices, and financial factors impacting the institution. The CBO modified and administered the Budget Process Assessment to better understand people's perceptions and avoid operating on assumptions. Assessment responses revealed a need to provide more information about how the college's budget is linked to student success outcomes.

The Results

The Budget Process Assessment was administered to diverse campus stakeholders. Responses were analyzed to change the institution's communication plan and budget instructions, addressing gaps in understanding.

After a subsequent budget cycle, the Budget Process Assessment was administered again, allowing South Central's CBO and their team to pinpoint areas where additional content or explanations were needed.

“We plan to continue using the Budget Process Assessment during each budget cycle to gain insight on how the budget process is working, how communication is working and how well we are able to tie the budget to our student success strategic goals.”
Roxy TraxlerFormer Vice President for Administration and Finance

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